cc16177

In my opinion the car feels more and more "solid" the faster you go (to a point).

For me the sweet spot on the Florida Turnpike is between 95-105mph.

g4benz

I agree. For some reason, I feel in "total control" of the vehicle around 60MPH+. It could be the clunky shifting in lower gears which many of us face with the 550's.

J.M.G.

Oh boy...

I did average (!) >110mph today on my way home!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BActZ94sd_V

thefisch

Wow, I may hit triple digits on occasion, but not enough to bump up my highway average from the high 70's. Of course, we don't have the autobahn here. It mostly happens with passing situations as it's hard to notice with these cars how fast you are going.

For me, reaching those speeds is about putting some distance between myself and traffic situations like truck passing or cars that tend to group together. Once I get some open road, I tend to set the cruise control and relax.

DaddioMB

First trip in I-5 in California in ages...

Ok, so how fast can you drive before the police care? I was doing around 80 and being passed by everyone...including a Prius. That didn't feel good.

jahquan3

LMAO

jahquan3

You guys must not have a speed limit over there. Nice

El Cid

This thread is why I would never purchase a pre-owned MB or similar type car.

jonUF02

Why not? If it breaks I can throw it away and buy 2 more of the same used car for what a new one costs.

cc16177

Yeah and I only have sex with virgins. Once they've been used by someone else, WORTHLESS I TELL YA!

PaulE550

Now that is funny. :-)

jonUF02

Nah, they have to go around the block once or twice before they're any good. You just don't want one that's all dirty and neglected, or bashed up.

kotton

Hell yes, and i actually use the paddle shifters when opportunity strikes. Nothing like coming up on someone doing 60 in the carpool lane, holding down the left paddle to select the best passing gear, and then quickly getting around them the next line break.

That big NA v8 sounds awesome starting in first gear at a green light as well.

walterk55

I drive pretty slow around town, but once on the highway she goes right to 90 (until my wife's screaming begins, at least!) Then I keep her at 80-85. I like the app Waze it let you know then the heavy hand of the law is nearby. As soon as Waze says "Police ahead" I drop to 65, and let the less informed run straight into the speed trap. I love seeing Maxima's pulled over...

Munich77

I drive enthusiastically - I try not to get into too much trouble but I love how the engine pulls.

z06michael

I live in the S.F Bay Area and of course there is always brutal traffic but when I get out of town I let er RIP!!!!!!!!!

BorisThaBrute

I drive the **** outta mine - mostly in manual - and I love every minute of it. Then again, I do all of the work and repairs so I ain't scared nothing's gonna break nor do I drive like it.

jahquan3

This is what I have to learn to do. I never use the paddles and I know it can give you more control over the way the car pulls off.

BorisThaBrute

My car doesn't have the paddle option, which is fine for me. And I don't know about the W212 models but the computer is gonna take control of the upshifts anyway if it senses you're heavy on the throttle. Basically, you just have to downshift if need be. The thing is pretty fool-proof. 4-6k rpm is the SWEET spot. There hasn't been a day gone by that I haven't hit 100+, and since I got my OE Tune, I see 150 once or twice a week. Nothing worse than hitting the limiter when someone in a pos Beamer or new Camaro wants to play. Now I bring it to whoever wants it.

g4benz

I remember when I went for a test drive in this car back in April. The previous owner sat in the back and was raving about the power of the car. I stepped on the gas, albeit cautiously, but was like "okay, cool". The previous owner then said try the paddles. I have no idea how to use paddles and still do not. He said he would guide me from the backseat. Once I hit those paddles, I was in serious race mode. Manual does make a big difference IMO. I just need to learn how to use those paddles!

P.S. Don't get me wrong, the car is still a beast in auto, but paddles is superbeast mode!

J.M.G.

That is true for the 5.5 N/A. The 4.7 TT on the other hand as a ton of torque and the 7g-TronicPlus. The new transmission -which was exclusively for the M278 engine- allows multible downshifts.

An example: Lets assume, you are cruising at 40mph in "E"-Mode. The E550 5.5 will use 5th gear. The E550 4.7 will use 6th. Now you push the throttle all the way through the KickDown-Point (WOT). The car will start to shift:
E550 5.5: 5->4->3->2 and then will take-off
E550 4.7: 6->2 and takes-off

That makes the 4.7 way more responsive. It also gives you the feeling of being even more powerfull than it is. In the end it is also the reason, why paddles are pretty useless here.

I even had Mercedes code the "M" mode into my vehicle*, as I missed this mode coming from my '08 E550 5.5 at the beginning, until I found out, that I do not need that anymore!

So in the 5.5 liter, manual downshifts before hitting the go-pedal was really a good idea. In the 4.7...just let the automatic do its job. Manual downshifts might even harm performance, as you could end up in a turbo lag!

* For more information

mrmotoguzzi00

That's been my experience too, there is so much torque down low that ya really don't need to hit it hard to move off real well, and i like the low rev burble when you let the torque get you going...

Arrie

I drive the NA 550 and when I want to make it go fast I hold the left paddle for two seconds and the car will shift directly to the gear giving the best acceleration.


The problem I have with this is that I forget to shift up as I'm used to drive in AUTO mode and the car is too quiet to hear the engine. But it surely takes off with this procedure...

jahquan3

^Interesting one Arrie.
I will try that as I always feel like I'm doing more harm to the tranny when I even attempt to use the paddles. My first car was a manual so I just can't wrap my head around not using a clutch and a gear shift knob when manually shifting in a vehicle. It just feels awkward every time I've tried.

Arrie

Yeah, this works. If you just quickly click the left paddle the car will change to a gear one lower than it was using in automatic mode but if you hold it for a couple of seconds it will go directly to a gear that gives you the best acceleration at the speed you are traveling.


The 2011 E350 that I had was the same.


I also think this is mentioned in the manual but not sure...